There has been a port at Watchet for over a thousand years and the harbour was still used by commercial boats until 2000. It has been destroyed by the power of the sea on several occasions and in the 1860s, when engineers were asked to submit plans for rebuilding it, those of Isambard Kingdom Brunel were turned down as being too expensive! When finally the harbour was decommissioned, the port was turned into a place for pleasure craft and a new marina opened in 2001.